The link between maturity and learning

When a child is born, he is completely dependent on his parents, being helpless, but with the increase of age the consciousness power becomes more powerful in its senses. With awakening of consciousness power, his responses to the environment starts. From infancy, the child tries to adapt with the environment and makes changes in his behavior. Since birth, he always keep gaining new experiences and on the basis of these experiences his behavior changes constantly. It is called learning to changes behavior through experiences. The process of learning goes on throughout the life.

Initially, the child behaves on the basis of his birth circles but later the child behaves to adapt to the environment based on his innate circles. Both maturity and experience have an effect in the learning. The maturity level effects the learning process. The person does not learn satisfactorily until sufficient physical maturity is attained. Individual differences are found in maturity.

Meaning of learning :- Many psychologists have different opinions about the meaning of learning. Some psychologists say learning to remember, is that one who has learned as much as he has memorized. Some call learning to adapt to the psychological environment. At the same place psychologists say learn, to benefit from psychological experience.

“Learning is the modification of behavior through experience and training.”

                                                                                                  ~Gates and others.

Learning and Maturation :- Just as learning changes behavior. So, also maturity changes behavior. Maturity means physical and mental capacity that increases automatically with the age of a person. As a person gets older, these abilities increases in him and he starts doing his appropriate behavior. Some of the behaviors of the person are the result of maturity. It is difficult to say which one behavior of the person is the result of the learning and which one is related to maturity, because both are intimately related. Maturity is called proper physical development. The proportional development of the organ of the person takes place over time. Learning actions occur through practice, but the actions that occur naturally due to physical development are due to maturity. There is no need to learn these activities. These activities happen on their own according to the time. A person without maturity is unable to learn. Like the child learns to walk at least after 9 months, if you want, yet child cannot learn to walk in 6 months, but upon maturity, the child will not have to teach. He himself will start walking without learning. Without maturity, he cannot walk even on learning a million time. Therefore, we can say that the action that appears in human being and beings at a particular age is due to maturity.

“We shall use the term maturation to mean the growth and development that is necessary either before any unlearned behavior can occur or before the learning of any particular behavior can take place.”

                                                                                                                ~Boring and others.

Difference between learning and maturation :-

1.       Learning is environmental, Maturation is natural. A person learns the some type of activities as he is living in society. Environments affects the person’s learning but maturation is natural, it is not affected by environment. The maturation continues in a natural way.

2.       Learning is mental activity and maturation is physical activity. One has to try mentally to learn while the maturation is biological. The person does not need any kind of mental effort for maturity.

3.       Maturity is necessary for learning. Learning is not necessary for maturation. A person is unable to learn without maturity until the person does not have mental or physical maturity, he does not learn anything.

4.       Motivation has an effect on learning, but it does not have an effect on maturity. When a person is motivated, his speed and quantity of learning increases. The maturation takes place in a natural state. It is neither more nor less by inspiration.

5.       The process of learning continues throughout life, but maturity ceases upon the attainment of puberty.